Gone
by alwaysmakorra
Summary: He was supposed to pick her up at 2. But by the time he got there, she was already gone.


A Borra oneshot I wrote! Just a warning, there's angst and mentions of torture/blood. Anyways, hope you guys like it.

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Bolin's eyes cracked open to the sound of persistent knocks on his bedroom door. Bright rays of morning sunlight poured in through the cracks in the curtained window, reminding him that it was his daughter's first day of school. Feeling slightly aggravated by his unceremonious wake up call, he turned over on his side, gently shaking a still-slumbering Korra.

She responded with incoherent mumbles as she opened one sleep encrusted eye, propping herself up on one elbow so that she was face to face with Bolin. "Good morning," she smiled, the contours of her face crinkling in endearment.

Bolin offered a loving grin in return, running his hand gently over the top of Korra's head. "Good morning, my sweet," he said, planting a soft kiss on the very tip of her nose.

"Mommy, daddy, wake up! It's my first day of school and I don't know where my backpack is!" Mae screeched from the hallway, interrupting the pair's intimate moment.

Releasing a sigh of contentment, Bolin pushed himself out of bed, dragging his feet to the door and swinging it wide open. A distressed five year old girl stood at the other side, dressed in rumpled cerulean blue pajamas, looking up at him in annoyance and desperation. Apparently the first day of school was quite important in the life of a young earthbender.

"Daddy please help me! I don't know where my blue backpack is!" Mae screeched at her father, her eyes widening in a plea for help. Without waiting for a response from a quite amused Bolin, she grabbed her father's hand, her small fingers wrapping around his thumb, and dragged him into her bedroom.

It looked as if a bomb had exploded in the middle Mae's room: opened drawers gave way to piles of clothes scattering the floor, pencils littered the child's unmade bed, and blank white papers covered the top of her usually pristine pink dresser. Bolin crouched down, swirls of color catching his eye underneath a blue scarf. He picked up an old, tattered drawing of Naga that Mae had made when she had just learned how to hold a writing utensil. ("Look daddy, aren't I an artist?")

A knock on the door snapped Bolin out of his trip down memory lane. "Sweetie, your backpack's right by the door, all ready to go." Korra peered down at Bolin, a soft chuckle escaping her lips at her husband's inability to stay on track.

"Thank you mommy, thank you! You saved me!" Mae let out a sigh of relief, wrapping her petite arms around her mother's legs.

Bolin got up from the littered floor, wiping his hands on his green pajama pants. "I'll go make breakfast," he announced, giving his wife a quick kiss on the cheek as he made his way into the family kitchen.

A few minutes later, smells of freshly cooked eggs and steaming rice wafted throughout the apartment as Bolin set out Korra and Mae's breakfast onto the polished countertop. The enticing smells instantly brought the two girls into the kitchen, their mouths watering at the sight of the food piled high atop their plates. Korra and Mae dug into their breakfast eagerly, sounds of silent appreciation filling the room.

Once the two had finished their meals, their plates left clean of any morsel of food, Bolin piped up, "Mae, I have a special surprise for you on your special day," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows for added effect. He gave Korra a knowing smile, and she nodded approvingly.

Mae's eyes widened into saucers in anticipation as she watched Bolin walk towards the hall closet without so much as a hint to what he was about to give her. His back to her, the five year old could hardly contain her excitement. A moment later, Bolin appeared, an unidentifiable plush object held behind his back and out of sight.

"Daddy what is it?" His daughter asked, a curious tone in her voice.

Bolin grinned coyly as he bent down so that he was eye level with his young daughter. "I'll only give it to you if you tell me how great your mom and I are." He looked up for a split second to wink at his wife, who was sitting by the counter, watching the scene unfold before her eyes.

Letting out a sigh of exasperation, Mae said, "You and mom are the best parents in the whole wide world and I wouldn't ever ask for any other parents except you guys and I love you for as long as the sun and moon are in the sky."

Pleased with her answer, Bolin chuckled, bringing his hand from behind his back to reveal a plush polar bear dog stuffed figure in his hand, eliciting a squeal of delight from the petite earthbender in front of him. Wearing a big, shining smile on her face, Mae gave her parents quick kisses on the cheek before she ran to her backpack to place her new toy inside.

After an hour had passed, the family had readied themselves for the day's events, running last minute check-ups on the house before their departure. Once every nook and cranny had been checked, Bolin, Korra, and Mae collected their belongings and stepped out into the driveway, the sun's rays pouring over them.

"Be careful you guys, have a great day," Korra said, looking from her daughter to her husband. Then, turning to Bolin, she warned, "And don't forget to pick Mae up exactly at 2 today. Don't be late."

Bolin nodded in response, making a mental note to leave his office 20 minutes earlier today. "Got it, babe." He stepped forward, placing a gentle goodbye kiss upon Korra's lips. "We'll see you when we see you."

Korra closed her eyes at the feel of Bolin's lips upon hers, ignoring sounds of disgust from their daughter below. Once the pair had parted, Korra bent down, wrapping her arms around Mae. "Have a great first day, I love you." With those last words and a kiss on the forehead she released her daughter, watching as she skipped down the driveway, hand in hand with Bolin.

Bolin glanced at the clock overlooking his desk, letting out an irritated sigh, as he had forgotten to leave his office 20 minutes early. Running his hands through his hair in frustration, he haphazardly gathered the rumpled papers on his desk into a manila folder – he would sort them out later – and stood up from his desk. Checking the clock once more to make sure it wasn't yet 2:00 (_1:57, _it read), Bolin sped out of his office in a hurry, his brown leather suitcase knocking fervently against his thigh.

Bolin jumped into his Satomobile and gunned the engine, speeding down the roadway and nearly knocking over a pedestrian in his attempt to arrive at the primary school on time. Once he had parked on the sidewalk by the earth-tone painted building, he got out of the car in a rush, and bounded up the steps leading to the school's open double doors. After checking and double-checking that he had reached the correct classroom, he walked up to a stern looking woman standing in the doorway.

"Hello, I'm here to pick up Mae." He announced, clearing his throat while running his hand through his hair for the umpteenth time that day.

The middle-aged woman peered at Bolin through her wired spectacles, glanced down at her class roster, and back up at a still breathless Bolin. "She's been checked out already, sir."

A feeling of uncertainty lodged itself in the pit of Bolin's stomach. "I'm sorry, you must be mistaken, but I'm Mae's father."

The woman shook her head in reply, and explained, "No sir, Mae was picked up already by her mother."

Bolin sighed in relief. "Okay, thank you miss." With a curt nod from the woman he presumed was his daughter's teacher, Bolin bounded down the steps of the school, returning to his Satomobile. Upon his drive home, he couldn't shake the inkling that something was terribly wrong. He was shocked that Korra had picked Mae up from school, since last night she told him that she would be working late at the Training Academy. Although it was a possibility that she could have taken the afternoon off to see Mae (which was highly unlikely due to Beifong's strict policies), Bolin began to feel increasingly restless as he wove his way around Republic City. Spotting a telephone booth past the intersection, he parked the car along the sidewalk, and walked into the cramped space, closing the door behind him as he dug into his pants pockets for some loose change.

Once he had found enough coins, Bolin dialed the house number, his worry increasing tenfold after each unanswered ring. At the fifth ring, somebody had picked up the phone.

"Bolin, so glad you called." An unfamiliar, yet hauntingly recognizable voice sounded from the other end. It sounded as if a man was speaking, but Bolin was unable to pinpoint exactly who it was.

Retaining his cool, Bolin asked, "Who is this? And where's my family?"

A resounding _cluck _came from the other line. "Oh, I'm disappointed that you can't recognize the sound of an old acquaintance. My name begins with a T, if you so need a clue." All of a sudden, piercing screams sounded from the other end of the line, making Bolin's heart rate quicken in fear.

Those were Mae and Korra's screams in the background. They sounded like they were in pain, and images of his two girls being tortured against their will tore his heart into shreds. Their cries of agony continued through the phone, bringing tears of anguish to Bolin's eyes.

"You let them go right now, Tarrlok," Bolin shouted into the receiver, finally identifying the voice of the speaker on the other end.

"I can't do that. Not _yet_, at least. Come to the house, and you and I will have a little chat. If it goes well, I release them. If it doesn't and you fail to comply, then, well, you can say goodbye to your little family of yours." A poignant _click _signified the end of the conversation, leaving a wide eyed Bolin in the phone booth as buried his head in his hands, trying to make some sense of the situation.

After a few silent moments had passed, Bolin walked out of the phone and climbed into the car, speeding down the road relentlessly until he had arrived at his home.

Once he spotted the all too familiar one story, red bricked home at the end of the street, Bolin jumped out of the car, and sprinted up the empty driveway. Upon noticing the open doorway and the eerie silence throughout the home, a sensation of being kicked in the stomach resonated through the earthbender's body. He walked into the home with caution, preparing himself for any sort of attack from Tarrlok. He surveyed the kitchen and living room first, and found it difficult to breathe as he took in the shards of porcelain china and glass on the floor, the broken antique coffee table, and, most painful of all, the tiny spots of blood running along the carpet floor. He cautiously followed the trail of red, leading him to Mae's bedroom.

Fearing the absolute worst, Bolin pushed open the door and walked inside, expecting to find his family, but instead finding nothing, save for a torn up plush polar bear dog in the middle of the empty room.

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So... thoughts? Reviews are always greatly appreciated!


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